All-New 2019 Nissan Altima Makes its Middle East Debut

Nissan has unveiled the all-new Altima, creating a new standard of design, driving enjoyment and technology within the mid-size sedan segment. The car features expressive styling, an uplifting interior, two new powertrains, and advanced Nissan Intelligent Mobility features. The 2.5L 2019 Altima goes on sale in the Middle East in February, followed by the 2.0L turbo in the summer.

The sixth generation of Nissan’s best-selling sedan made its world debut at the 2018 New York International Auto Show, alongside the first North American showing of Nissan’s Formula E race car.

“The all-new Altima builds on 25 years of heritage; it is an incredibly popular model in the Middle East, and we are confident that the advancements made in the sixth generation of the car will heighten its appeal.” said Kalyana Sivagnanam, Regional Vice President, Marketing and Sales, AMI. “The all-new Altima is designed to shake up the mid-size sedan segment in terms of design, driving enjoyment and technologies that are simultaneously advanced and affordable. Between the sleek exterior, luxurious interior, engine improvements, tighter suspension and increased seat support, the 2019 Altima is a class above.”

The all-new Altima’s design was inspired by the award-winning Nissan Vmotion 2.0 concept car, which debuted at the 2017 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. It is lower, longer and wider than the previous generation with a highly balanced, aggressive stance and the option of 19-inch wheels and tires. Inside, the all-new premium interior features a wide ‘gliding wing’ instrument panel – which accentuates the exterior’s low cowl and hood, helping create an open, airy environment.

“The Altima continues to be a popular choice amongst consumers in the Middle East” added Juergen Schmitz, Managing Director of Nissan Middle East. “During the first ten months of the current financial year (April 2018-January 2019) the fifth generation of the model has seen year-on-year growth of 30 per cent, with 46 per cent from retail sales. This success comes despite the current generation car being in the final year of its lifecycle. The Altima now enjoys its highest recorded segment share in the region.”

Key interior comfort and convenience features include upgraded seats with added bolstering for improved holding and support. The car also features Apple CarPlay™ and Android Auto™ and an 8-inch multi-touch colour display for complete in-car entertainment and ease of driver control.

Cutting-edge Nissan Intelligent Mobility technologies have been integrated into the 2019 Altima as standard. These include Nissan’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert, which helps drivers to detect stationary objects when reversing. When an object is detected, the system warns the driver with visual and audible warnings. The all new Altima also provides front, side and rear safety monitoring and intervention technologies – including Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, Lane Departure Warning (LDW), radar-based Blind Spot Warning (BSW), Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA) and High Beam Assist (HBA).

Two new engines have been introduced on the 2019 Altima. Standard on all 2019 Altima grade levels is a new 2.5-liter DOHC inline 4-cylinder direct injection engine. More than just the gains in horsepower and torque, the new engine offers improvements in smoothness and cabin quietness, along with enhanced fuel economy and cleaner emissions.

Replacing the previous-generation Altima’s 3.5-liter V6 engine is the world’s first production-ready variable compression turbo inline 4-cylinder. A significant technological breakthrough, the VC-Turbo seamlessly changes its compression ratio, delivering the performance of a much larger powerplant with fuel efficiency and improved emissions.

The 2019 Altima will be offered in a range of trim levels – S, SV and SL in the 2.5L and SV and SL grades in 2.0L Turbo. 2.0L VC-Turbo will be open for reservations in early summer 2019.

The all-new Altima will be available from February 2019, at a starting price of AED 84,000 / US $22,900 (excluding VAT) for the 2.5L model. Prices per market will be revealed at their respective launches and will vary from market to market.

Detailed Product Information

Key Highlights

The all-new, sixth-generation Altima features:

Advanced Nissan Intelligent Mobility safety

Two new engines, including the company’s world’s first production-ready Variable Compression Turbo

Expressive design with lower, wider and more athletic proportions

New open, airy premium uplifting interior design

Sporty Exterior

The all-new Altima takes its inspiration from the award-winning Nissan Vmotion 2.0 concept, which debuted at the 2017 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Like the show car, the production Altima attracts immediate attention with its athletic stance and proportions – lower, wider and more dynamic than previous generations, thanks in part to new platform packaging and the use of two new low-profile engine designs.

Compared with the previous generation, the new Altima is 1.1 inches lower in height, 1.0 inches longer in length and 0.9 inches wider – while also featuring a smaller front overhang thanks a 1.9-inch longer wheelbase and the rear wheels being pushed farther to the corners. The result is a dramatically sleeker yet more sophisticated look. The coefficient of drag is just 0.26. Larger, available 19-inch wheels and tires really help elevate the vehicle’s appearance, giving it a more linear, tailored feel that’s emphasized by the sharp horizontal lines, and signature Nissan design cues such as the V-motion grille and streamlined boomerang lights.

Available exterior elements include the expressive V-motion grille with dark chrome finish, LED projector headlights with signature Daytime Running Lights, LED fog lights, floating roof with slim pillars and single panel moonroof. A range of available exterior colours –including a deep-tinted Scarlet Ember red that changes hue with the light, and a new vibrant Sunset Drift orange with unique reflective pigment – help bring out the exterior’s sculptural details and highlights.

Premium Interior

Inside, the 2019 Altima interior offers a near-luxury feel in both design and materials – marked by the lightweight, layered and more horizontal “gliding wing” instrument panel. A range of premium interior colours and trim accents are available depending on grade level.

The uplifting interior design also offers a high level of comfort and convenience amenities and connectivity features are offered – including standard 7.0-inch Advanced Drive Assist Display, enhanced NASA-inspired Zero Gravity seat design with dual-density foam and added bolstering for improved holding and support, available perforated leather-appointed seat inserts, available remote engine start with Intelligent Climate Control and new available 8-way driver’s seat with memory.

The new Altima’s selection of audio and infotainment choices include a Bose® Premium Audio system with nine speakers, including a new digital amplifier with eight channels of custom equalization.

Enhanced dynamic performance and chassis control

Along with the all-weather traction offered by the new all-wheel drive system, all 2019 Altimas benefit from a range of enhanced suspension, steering and chassis control systems. Key suspension changes include the first Altima application of monotube rear shocks, added suspension reinforcements to improve vehicle response without impacting harshness, and suspension geometry adjustments to improve steering feedback. The goal in the chassis development is to provide a more comfortable, controlled and confident driving experience – not just for the higher grades but for every 2019 Altima.

The steering system has been upgraded to a new dual-pinion electric power steering design (DP-EPS), which enhances steering feel performance and reduces steering system noise. Steering effort is reduced at low speeds for ease of driving, and effort is increased at higher speeds for improved feedback and control.

The 2019 Altima includes a new, advanced Integrated Dynamics Module (IDM). It includes three unique systems – Intelligent Ride Control, Intelligent Trace Control and Vehicle Dynamics Control – similar to those found on the flagship Nissan Maxima sedan.

Three wheel and tire size combinations are available – 16-inch, 17-inch and, for the first time, 19-inch.

New standard 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine

Reflecting the Altima’s importance to the Nissan brand, the company is also making its biggest investment ever in a new model powertrain development – introducing for the first time two completely new engines for one model change.

Standard on all grade levels is the new 2.5-liter DOHC inline 4-cylinder direct injection engine, which is rated at 188 horsepower (versus the previous 2.5-liter’s 179 hp) and 180 lb-ft of torque (versus the previous 177 lb-ft) and features 80% new or redesigned parts.

More than just the gains in horsepower and torque, the new engine offers improvements in noise, vibration and harshness, along with enhanced fuel economy and cleaner emissions. It also has a lower profile through adoption of a “reverse” cylinder head with integrated exhaust manifold and low engine mounting into the new platform’s engine bay for quieter operation.

Nissan’s development of the new 2.5-liter engine started with reviewing the basic specifications on an individual basis, such as the combustion chamber design. The result is an enhanced combination of high output and low fuel consumption versus the previous engine – with the bonus of improved NVH and front-end styling flexibility.

Replacing the previous-generation Altima’s 3.5-liter V6 engine is the world’s first production-ready variable compression turbo inline 4-cylinder – which generates the performance of some V6 gasoline engines but with 4-cylinder level fuel economy.

Designated as the VC-Turbo, the new technology continuously transforms the engine characteristics, providing both dynamic and efficient performance. The VC-Turbo recently launched as a world’s first technology in the all-new INFINITI QX50 crossover. With the VC-Turbo, the driver balances the engine character through acceleration pedal operation alone.

The VC-Turbo has been in development for 20 years. It seamlessly changes its compression ratio between 8:1 (for high performance) and 14:1 (for high efficiency) – with an advanced multi-link system continuously raising or lowering the pistons’ reach to transform the compression ratio. A high compression ratio gives greater efficiency, but in certain applications poses the risk of premature combustion (knocking). A low compression ratio allows for greater power and torque and avoids knocking.

The multi-link components are manufactured in high-carbon steel alloy. Compared with the previous 3.5-liter V6 engine, the 2.0-liter VC-Turbo requires less space in the engine bay. The engine delivers 248 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque (premium fuel).

The VC-Turbo engine utilizes both multi-point injection and direct injection to balance efficiency and power in all conditions. The Direct Injection Gasoline (DIG™) system improves combustion efficiency and performance and enables the engine to avoid knocking at higher compression ratios, while the multi-point injection mixes fuel and air earlier, enabling complete combustion in the chamber for greater efficiency at low engine loads. The engine also contributes to lower NVH and improved emissions (versus the previous 3.5-liter V6). The VC-Turbo engine is assembled in Japan.

Altima comes equipped with the VC-Turbo (SV and SL grades) and include a meter in the standard 7.0-inch Advanced Drive Assist Display so the driver can see, as well as feel, the control state of this world-first technology while driving.

In terms of fuel economy4, the new 2.0-liter VC-Turbo engine is projected to have a double-digit percentage increase in highway mpg for the front-wheel drive models.